Ch.74Rescue Signals Are Dangerous (3)

In any case, this mission carries a high level of risk.

With two Hades members working together, and one of them being a founding member with the sun tattoo, he would certainly be much stronger than Jackson or Trione.

That’s why I reached out to Trione, who has deep connections with Hades, and Helena.

“…To be honest, I really don’t want to go.”

“I, I brought you along for situations like this. You need to earn your keep.”

Unlike Trione who responded immediately, Helena has been unreachable all day for some reason.

Unable to delay any longer, I had no choice but to depart for Italy with only Trione accompanying me.

“Ah, damn it. This is going wrong from the start.”

Normally, Helena would have prepared a private jet or something, but since that wasn’t possible, I was sitting in economy class using the power of my ring.

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until we can reach that woman? The probability that the man who requested help is still alive is quite slim.”

“…His pass hasn’t been cut off, so he’s still alive.”

Even though the plane had already taken off, Trione kept sighing, clearly anxious about something.

“Just calm down. Why are you making such a fuss?”

Unable to bear it any longer, I scolded him. After hesitating briefly, Trione finally began to reveal what was bothering him.

“…Are you sure we can win? I’ve only seen one founding member in person, but he was unbelievably frightening and powerful.”

“……”

“You’re strong too, but objectively speaking, I don’t think our odds of winning are high.”

To be honest, I was slightly hesitant as well. I had witnessed Seoha’s abilities during the dungeon break in Gangwon Province.

‘He was on a much higher level than I expected.’

It was almost unfair to compare him to Jackson. I’d heard that especially from A-rank upward, the gaps within the same rank could be significant, but I hadn’t expected it to be that extreme.

If a top-tier A-rank hunter possessed that kind of power, then the man with the sun tattoo we were about to face would likely be of equal ability.

That’s why I had wanted to call Helena as reliable reinforcement.

But.

“I’ll definitely win.”

Backing down from an opponent of that caliber is simply not an option for me.

It wasn’t about pride; it was something more fundamental.

“I just have to eliminate anything that bothers me to feel satisfied.”

And Hades had already irritated me multiple times.

“So it makes sense for them to disappear.”

That was the law and rule I had established while living in that other world.

#

“So, there are more than ten patients showing the same symptoms?”

Bolzano, a medium-sized city in northern Italy.

And Mateo, a hunter belonging to the guild located in Bolzano.

He was currently patrolling with his colleagues to investigate the strange phenomenon that was reportedly spreading in Bolzano and the surrounding villages.

“Don’t even get me started. The symptoms aren’t severe, but there are clearly patients, yet doctors say there’s nothing wrong. We’re at our wits’ end.”

“…I understand. Once our report goes up, clear instructions should come down from above, so I’d appreciate your patience a little longer.”

The targets were random individuals regardless of age or gender. Those affected by this strange phenomenon all complained of weakness, gradually lost weight, and showed signs of lethargy.

Several doctors had examined these patients, but because the symptoms weren’t severe and no medical abnormalities could be found, they ultimately concluded it was simply a psychological issue.

However, when such consistent testimonies emerged from separate villages, it was a different story.

That’s why the national agency had commissioned an investigation, suspecting that gates and monsters might be related to this phenomenon.

‘It is definitely strange.’

Even Mateo himself felt as if something was gradually draining his magical power while conducting the investigation.

If the victims’ symptoms were related to some kind of magical power depletion, it clearly meant that something invisible was at the center of this incident.

“Roden, how’s it going on your end?”

“Not much different. Most villagers’ opinions align. It seems like there really is something going on, isn’t there?”

After finishing their investigation across several villages, Mateo and his colleagues were about to return to the guild with their compiled findings.

That’s when the situation took an unexpected turn.

Kuuung.

Crackle.

Huuuung.

A massive wave of magical power emanated from the entire surrounding area, and the flow of the atmosphere suddenly began to change.

“Mateo! What the hell is happening?”

“I don’t know! Send a support request to the guild first!”

One of his colleagues appeared to be quickly making contact, but soon a panicked cry erupted from him.

“Damn it, I can’t get through!”

“What’s happening here?”

The agitation among his companions was visible, but Mateo tried to maintain his composure while calming his colleagues.

“Stay calm. With an incident of this scale, they’ll quickly assess the situation and send support.”

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

Huuung.

‘My strength is gradually draining away.’

Though he didn’t know the true nature of this phenomenon, it was certainly related to the problems they had been investigating.

‘We have some leeway, but other citizens are in danger.’

In the midst of the confusion, the hunters gathered around Mateo to discuss their course of action.

“What should we do now?”

“Well, let’s… try to find the source of this situation.”

At Mateo’s words, the hunters nodded with grim expressions.

#

Weeeee!

Weeeeeeee!

Pitter-patter!

Sirens wailed through the streets, and citizens hurriedly evacuated somewhere.

“…It seems something is already happening.”

“It appears so.”

We arrived in Bolzano, a city near the location based on the information JP had provided, but the city was already in the midst of commotion.

It meant that Hades members had already begun taking action.

“It looks like the state and guild are already moving. Is there really a need for us to step in?”

“If you keep whining, I’ll just turn you into an undead and carry you around.”

“…I was merely pointing out that it’s inefficient.”

He wasn’t wrong, but our opponents would certainly have anticipated this much as well.

In other words, regardless of whether the state and guild took action, they were prepared to accomplish their goals and escape.

“The distraction is actually good. Let’s go.”

“…Damn it, I give up. Don’t expect much from me in direct combat since that’s not my strength.”

So Trione and I searched for the location where JP was presumed to be held captive.

However, when we arrived at the basement, JP was already gone.

“He’s dead.”

“I told you his pass hasn’t been cut off. Do you want me to cut your throat?”

If that was the case, it was safe to assume that JP was currently with the Hades members.

In other words, it was time to find them.

Tap. Tap tap.

Pitter-patter!

Just as we were about to leave the basement to begin our search.

Suddenly, several people rushed into the basement and surrounded us.

“Don’t move! We received reports of two suspicious individuals. What were you doing here?”

“What?”

Judging by their aura, they were all hunters.

It seemed that because we were both foreigners, we had unexpectedly aroused suspicion from local residents.

“Put your hands on your head and turn around facing the wall! We’re detaining both of you!”

“No, we haven’t done anything.”

“This is an emergency situation! If you don’t comply with instructions, we will use force!”

Since it didn’t seem like they would accept anything we said, I slightly turned my head and signaled to Trione.

“Haah.”

Huuung!

Understanding my meaning, Trione activated his ability, and the hunters immediately froze with blank expressions.

There didn’t seem to be any high-rank hunters among them, so they had no chance of resisting Trione’s hypnosis, which was at A-rank level.

“What should we do with these guys? Take them along as meat shields?”

“Just leave them here. We’ve already wasted enough time.”

But at that moment, a message from someone came through on the radio one of the hunters was carrying.

[This is G3! We’ve spotted two suspicious individuals near the forest by Brenner. Additionally, there appears to be one unidentified male who seems to be restrained.]

Hearing those words, Trione and I naturally turned to look at each other.

“…That seems definitive.”

“It’s not far from here. Let’s go.”

And so, we were finally able to meet the captured JP and one of the founding members of Hades.

“…And who might you be?”

Along with countless hunter corpses, their limbs severed or twisted, strewn pathetically across the ground.